Tips from ex-smokers

Don't try to stop smoking until you are ready.  If you are not ready in your own mind, then it is not going to work.

AR, Prestwick

The main thing that kept me going was the thought 'I can prove it to myself and everyone else.'  It was like an endurance test.

VF, Helensburgh

When I got so edgy and irritable I knew I would explode, I'd take the dog for a walk.  I was going out about 10 times a day - and after a month I reckon his legs were at least an inch shorter

DM, Aberdeen

I thought that when I went to the group there would be a way of doing it and it would be the same for everyone.  But everyone's different.  You have to find the way that's right for you.

AM, Edinburgh

It is you that has to stop and not because someone is pressuring you.  You are the only person that can make the decision.

JM, Dunfermline

I think if you're making any major change in your lifestyle, it's always better to plan for it or prepare for it before you do it - whether it's stopping smoking, or moving house, or whatever.

DE, Glasgow

The first week was hell.  After that it was okay.  I felt proud of the fact that I actually stopped smoking.

NC, Cumbernauld